I had no problem setting up last night but then i just felt really confused (i was attempting to play solo). I don't consider myself super dense but i felt i was reading or paying wrong. How do i know where to set up Genestealers? Where to place Blips? The dice does what? I don't want to get flamed i just need a simple example or something. Whats funny is Space Hulk 3rd edt. rules are simpler to understand than these Any help would be appreciated.

Have you read the rule book completely? i suggest putting the cards away and reading the rules entirely (several times). the examples given are more than enough to visualise the game and understand it. it's FFG, so there is no substitute for going through the rules completely, every word.

Run through a hand or two solo, and i think you'll find you get your head around it all at once. it's got two or three "ureaka" moments and than you got it.

that being said, it is complex, many interactions will occur that are a little puzzling... but that's what bgg.com is for... happy hunting!

Check out Truesight and other award-winning fiction at davidstahlerjr.com!

Don't feel bad--I found these rules a bit obtuse on first read. It took another couple read-throughs for them to click. Getting my copy in the mail a couple days ago and being able to actually see the cards (particularly the location cards) helped a great deal, especially in terms of understanding how terrain and spawning worked together. I don't know if it's a problem of how the rules are presented or the rules themselves that makes this game a little confusing at first.(Though now that I've got it, I think the game is pretty clever)

At least I think I've got it--I'm going to try a few solo games this weekend, so we'll see...

Feel the same way here. I work far better from visual media - so still awaiting someone to do a video tutorial, pref solo, so I can play. Just couldnt get it.. Had the game for days, not played once, doh!

I completely understand why these rules are confusing. First big mistake FFG made was refering to rules that are explained further in the text. You do not refer to a rule that is explained on page 26, the first time a rule is referred to in instruction they should be explained, Avalon hill games were notorious for this problem, particularly games like Advanced squad leader. The rule book is not big enough to require that you jump to pages to find out how to play.Now that I have that off my chest, lets try and get people thru the setup. Since if you get thru the setup the rules are simple. I suggest you skip the setup, and read the rules from there. Then go back and read the setup for the game.The setup is the most confusing part.

I completely understand why these rules are confusing. First big mistake FFG made was refering to rules that are explained further in the text. You do not refer to a rule that is explained on page 26, the first time a rule is referred to in instruction they should be explained, Avalon hill games were notorious for this problem, particularly games like Advanced squad leader. The rule book is not big enough to require that you jump to pages to find out how to play.Now that I have that off my chest, lets try and get people thru the setup. Since if you get thru the setup the rules are simple. I suggest you skip the setup, and read the rules from there. Then go back and read the setup for the game.The setup is the most confusing part.

good advice, just jaded already with it i guess. but could someone do a set-up photo pdf or similar and upload? just what the deck is meant to look like (solo would be good)? i for one am almost there, but its the blip piles and how things actually move thats an issue... gawd...

I completely understand why these rules are confusing. First big mistake FFG made was refering to rules that are explained further in the text. You do not refer to a rule that is explained on page 26, the first time a rule is referred to in instruction they should be explained, Avalon hill games were notorious for this problem, particularly games like Advanced squad leader. The rule book is not big enough to require that you jump to pages to find out how to play.Now that I have that off my chest, lets try and get people thru the setup. Since if you get thru the setup the rules are simple. I suggest you skip the setup, and read the rules from there. Then go back and read the setup for the game.The setup is the most confusing part.

good advice, just jaded already with it i guess. but could someone do a set-up photo pdf or similar and upload? just what the deck is meant to look like (solo would be good)? i for one am almost there, but its the blip piles and how things actually move thats an issue... gawd...

I am going to try and learn the system again tonight, I downloaded all the tutorial posts off of Fantasy Flights Page hoping that will help. Since it sounds like we are in the same boat if i "break through' i will let you know. Good luck.

I had no problem setting up last night but then i just felt really confused (i was attempting to play solo). I don't consider myself super dense but i felt i was reading or paying wrong. How do i know where to set up Genestealers? Where to place Blips? The dice does what? I don't want to get flamed i just need a simple example or something. Whats funny is Space Hulk 3rd edt. rules are simpler to understand than these Any help would be appreciated.

Blips are placed in piles on each side of your location, one for the left side, one for the right side. The number of blips in each pile is the big numbers on the location card.

At the beginning of the game you draw an event card. Ignore everything on this initial card except for the two colored rectangles at the bottom. This tells you where Genestealers spawn. If it shows, for example, the Red and Green rectangles, find those particular terrain cards then pull a blip from the pile above it and place a genestealer next to it. If it has the arrow with the red flare then you place 2 Genestealers (for solo game).

The dice is mostly used for attacking and defending. When attacking, if you roll a skull you've taken out a Genestealer. When defending, if you roll OVER the number of Genestealers in the group attacking you then you've successfully defended. Otherwise spend a support token to reroll (if you're facing the group) or your Marine is taken out. Special abilities on your action cards may change how you use the dice... for example, the flamer works differently when attacking.

The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up. - GKC

I really wish I had time to do a video. My brother and I spent a 1/2 hour just getting it set up. The spawning rules are the worst organized.

1) After you deal out your marines, set up the event, location, and genestealer decks, you place the terrain cards on the formation based on the starting location card. The icons on the sides match the icons on the terrain cards; you place them up or down the number of spaces shown on the same side of the formation as they are on the starting location card.

2) The starting location card has 2 big numbers on each side in a "radar" style design. Place a pile of genestealer cards from the genestealer deck on the respective side of the starting location, face down. Those are the left and right blip piles.

3) On your starting location card, there are 2 colored triangles, Yellow and White. Yellow is a "Major Spawn" and White is a "Minor Spawn"

4) Draw an event card and ignore all but those two colored blocks (green, yellow, orange and red) There will also be a small yellow or white triangle on each, the key for each is on the starting location card as explained in the step above.

So if you have a yellow block and a red block, and there is a white triangle on the yellow block and a yellow triangle on the red block, put X genestealers face up on the terrain card with a red block and Y genestealers face up on the terrain card with the yellow block.

However, make sure you draw the genestealers from the blip pile that is on the same side as the terrain you are putting them on - think of it as them moving down the formation from their respective positions at the upper left and right of the Marines.

It's still dense, but keep reading that and looking at your setup until it clicks. It's more condensed than the rulebook that has you flipping all over the place.

Once you get that, it gets much, much easier to figure out what to do for the rest of the game.

I had no problem setting up last night but then i just felt really confused (i was attempting to play solo). I don't consider myself super dense but i felt i was reading or paying wrong. How do i know where to set up Genestealers? Where to place Blips? The dice does what? I don't want to get flamed i just need a simple example or something. Whats funny is Space Hulk 3rd edt. rules are simpler to understand than these Any help would be appreciated.

Blips are placed in piles on each side of your location, one for the left side, one for the right side. The number of blips in each pile is the big numbers on the location card.

At the beginning of the game you draw an event card. Ignore everything on this initial card except for the two colored rectangles at the bottom. This tells you where Genestealers spawn. If it shows, for example, the Red and Green rectangles, find those particular terrain cards then pull a blip from the pile above it and place a genestealer next to it. If it has the arrow with the red flare then you place 2 Genestealers (for solo game).

The dice is mostly used for attacking and defending. When attacking, if you roll a skull you've taken out a Genestealer. When defending, if you roll OVER the number of Genestealers in the group attacking you then you've successfully defended. Otherwise spend a support token to reroll (if you're facing the group) or your Marine is taken out. Special abilities on your action cards may change how you use the dice... for example, the flamer works differently when attacking.

Hope that helps.

Thank you, The totally helps. I am about to start playing in an hour i am printing this response and Pauls as well. You both helped me a lot THANK YOU BOTH!!!

1) Do you put the two guys from the same unit together, or shuffle and deal them out?2) When you use a card, do both guys get an action?3) How does the door location work? The text on that card really confused me.

1) Space Marines are distributed randomly at the beginning of the game, there is no requirement to keep combat teams together.

2) For Move+Activate and Attack, both of your Space Marines can take an action. For Support, you only get one support token to place. Often, the special abilities on the card will only apply to your specialist, but some apply to both Space Marines.

3) The Door gets a support token placed on it each time it is activated. When you travel to the next location, the Genestealers that have been spawned will normally follow you. The Door allows you to slay one Genestealer for each support token on the Door at the time that travel to the next location occurs.

1) Do you put the two guys from the same unit together, or shuffle and deal them out?

You shuffle all the marines from the chosen teams together. Where a marine starts has nothing to do with his team or player

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2) When you use a card, do both guys get an action?

It depends on the card. For "Attack" and "Move+Activate", each marine gets to do the action. For "Support", you only get ONE token to place. For special instructions on the cards, they will either refer to "you" or to your marines. If it says "You" that means you do it once. Otherwise it will say "each", or mention a marine by name.

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3) How does the door location work? The text on that card really confused me.

This one is confusing, but I'll do my best to explain:

When a player resolves the "Move + Activate" card, he can move his marine(s) and/or change their facing. If one of the marines ends up on the door space, facing towards the door, they may use their "activate" action to activate the door (same as other locations that can be activated).

The door's instructions say "Place 1 support token on this card", so that's what you'd do. If the marine is on the orange team, their activate action card says they can place two tokens on the door instead of only one.

Note that you can only activate a location card once per round. So you couldn't move one marine to the door, place a token, and then do it again with a different marine.

When either of the blip piles is empty at the end of a phase, you travel. When this happens, whoever is the current player (the one who had the lowest numbered action card) may choose to slay one genestealer for each token that's currently on the door card. You could slay none, or one, or two, etc, until the door runs out of tokens. You can slay them in any combination and from any swarm you choose.

Note that if you don't use all the tokens, any remaining ones will be lost when you travel, because all the location cards are discarded and replaced. Even if the next location has a door, it's not the same door, so it starts with no tokens.

Thanks, that helps. For some reason, I was thinking "hey, this is a closed door. Instead of opening it, I'll 'activate' it and just pile on a bunch of support tokens, then open it, and they'll all die!".

I think the instructions would be helped greatly by going through a round of combat or two. It seems like "shoot, shoot, shoot" is about the only first round thing to do. Then pick up the pieces and see if you can continue.

They don't really say, but my impression of the door mechanics is this: each time you "activate" the door, you are somehow reinforcing it, and/or boobie-trapping it. It's like piling up boxes you can topple over, dragging barricades into place, etc. So when you finally leave the area you are able to make a stand at the door while they pursue you, and kill a number of them off before they force their way through to the next area with you.

The game is very simple and so are the rules. But the rule book is written in a very confusing way.

Read it from page to page at least once. Then set up a game using the rule book as a reference. Start playing and you will get right into it. But you have to read the rules from first to last page before you start.

Problem is that you cant make a setup if you dont read like 2/3rds of the rules. Would have been so much easier if they wrote the entire setup in one place and then went through the phases.

The game is very simple and so are the rules. But the rule book is written in a very confusing way.

Read it from page to page at least once. Then set up a game using the rule book as a reference. Start playing and you will get right into it. But you have to read the rules from first to last page before you start.

Problem is that you cant make a setup if you dont read like 2/3rds of the rules. Would have been so much easier if they wrote the entire setup in one place and then went through the phases.

might be a moot point for me, as due to frustration and the fact that ive owned the game for over two weeks - haven't been able to play even once due to not "getting it" seriously fed up with it - i may well ebay it anyway...

How "far" do you get before you get stuck? Is it the setup that is causing you problems or do you get stuck after you have set it up?

i got 90% of the set-up i think, but the icons on the cards and blip piles blew my mind... ive kinda got disillusioned with it, but would love to give it another try. ive posted elsewhere for a video tut, but nothing as yet - even a pdf with a solo set up with exact placement of cards, and a run through of the first few moves would be a start.

I will not promis anything but Ill try to make a writeup of the setup. I want to do it for my own sake as well inorder to simplify teaching the game to others. But I wount do it now since Im at work.

When you say that you got 90% through the setup then I assume that you got the two blip piles set, the marines lined up in formation and have your Location Setup card layed out. Thats where you get stuck right?

IF that is where your stuck then read on. If not just wait for a writeup.

You have two types of location cards. Setup cards and location cards. Setup cards have a description of how many players the setup is intended for, what cards to use for the location deck and how many GSes there are in major and minor spawns. Location cards have green backs with a number on them. In other ways they are identical so they are easy to mix up.

Take the one player setup card and create the location deck. You create the location deck by adding one random "2" location card, a random "3" location card and a random "4" location card. They have to lay in the order specified on the setup card with the "2" card on top and "4" card on the bottom.

Next you setup the terrain cards. On the left and right side of the Location Setup card and the Location card you have icons that show what terrain cards to use for this location and where to place them.

The icon should match the icon on the terrain card. So take out the four terrain cards that match the four icons on the Location Setup card.

Now place the terrain cards starting with the icon top left. Next to the icon you have an arrow and a number. If the number is 2 and the arrow points down then you place the terrain infront of the second Marine from the top on the left side. Then do the same for the second icon on the left side of the card. Then proceed with the right side. Note that the arrows usually point up on the right side so you count from the bottom.

Now you have everything but the first spawn of GSes.

Take a event card.

Look at bottom of the card. You have three things down there two spawns and (on most cards) a movement. The two spawns are represented by a green, yellow, orange or red bar with a triangel over it. The color coded bar is tied to the same looking color on the terrain cards. So this determins where the spawn happens. If its a orange bar and you have two terrains with orange bars GSes spawn on both the terrains. The triangles determin how many GSes spawn. If you look at the Location Setup card then you have trianges on the bottom edge of that card with a number in it. The number is how many GSes spawn. The triange with the fat jagged edge is the major spawn and the other one is the minor spawn.

If the terrain card that the spawn is gonna be placed on is on the right side of the fomration then the GS card is drawn from the right blip pile.

I will not promis anything but Ill try to make a writeup of the setup. I want to do it for my own sake as well inorder to simplify teaching the game to others. But I wount do it now since Im at work.

When you say that you got 90% through the setup then I assume that you got the two blip piles set, the marines lined up in formation and have your Location Setup card layed out. Thats where you get stuck right?

IF that is where your stuck then read on. If not just wait for a writeup.

You have two types of location cards. Setup cards and location cards. Setup cards have a description of how many players the setup is intended for, what cards to use for the location deck and how many GSes there are in major and minor spawns. Location cards have green backs with a number on them. In other ways they are identical so they are easy to mix up.

Take the one player setup card and create the location deck. You create the location deck by adding one random "2" location card, a random "3" location card and a random "4" location card. They have to lay in the order specified on the setup card with the "2" card on top and "4" card on the bottom.

Next you setup the terrain cards. On the left and right side of the Location Setup card and the Location card you have icons that show what terrain cards to use for this location and where to place them.

The icon should match the icon on the terrain card. So take out the four terrain cards that match the four icons on the Location Setup card.

Now place the terrain cards starting with the icon top left. Next to the icon you have an arrow and a number. If the number is 2 and the arrow points down then you place the terrain infront of the second Marine from the top on the left side. Then do the same for the second icon on the left side of the card. Then proceed with the right side. Note that the arrows usually point up on the right side so you count from the bottom.

Now you have everything but the first spawn of GSes.

Take a event card.

Look at bottom of the card. You have three things down there two spawns and (on most cards) a movement. The two spawns are represented by a green, yellow, orange or red bar with a triangel over it. The color coded bar is tied to the same looking color on the terrain cards. So this determins where the spawn happens. If its a orange bar and you have two terrains with orange bars GSes spawn on both the terrains. The triangles determin how many GSes spawn. If you look at the Location Setup card then you have trianges on the bottom edge of that card with a number in it. The number is how many GSes spawn. The triange with the fat jagged edge is the major spawn and the other one is the minor spawn.

If the terrain card that the spawn is gonna be placed on is on the right side of the fomration then the GS card is drawn from the right blip pile.

Now your set up and ready to play the first turn.

Tomas

thanks, and will look forward to the write up you mentioned. i didnt know where to place the blip piles, or how many cards should be in each blip pile. i had the starting location card, marine cards underneath, and the three players i was controlling laid out ready to go. thanks again.